Operating coke ovens



April 2, 1940. C, QTTO l OPERATING COKE OVENS Filed July 28, 193e mvENToR fuif Patented Apr. 2,1940

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE OPERATING COKE OVENS Application July 28, 1936, Serial No. 92,969

6 Claims.

The invention relates to a process of operating horizontal chamber ovens arranged in juxtaposition so as to form a battery and having heating chambers disposed between each two coking 5 chambers.

In ovens of this type in which the heating chambers as a rule are subdivided into a series of vertical heating iiues, hitherto the charge of the coking chambers has been heated in such a.

l manner, that the free space existing in the chamber above the charge and required for the motion of the levelling bar and for the withdrawal of the volatile products of distillation was not exposed to the heating action, in order to prevent 15 decomposition of the hydrocarbons contained in the gas and, further, precipitation of graphite, resulting from this decomposition, on the cover of the chambers. For, the ovens have been constructed .in such a manner, that the upper edge l of the heating chamber or of the heating flues was situated far below the o-ven cover as well as also far below the upper surface of the charge. While the upper gas collecting space of the coking chambers as intended thus remained as cold. as possible, a drawback inavoidably resulted from this arrangement, viz., that the upper layers of the charge were not heated to the saine extent as the remainder of the charge, so that this upper coal layer which in general already- 30 in itself shows a rather loosecondition, gave spongycoke and, further, a non-uniformity of the entire carbonization was to be observed.

The invention has now for its object a construction and a mode of operation of chamber 35 ovens, in which this lagging in the carbonization of the uppermost coal layer of the charge is avoided. To this end the known arrangement for the operation of horizontal chamber ovens is made use of in which the gas collecting spaces 40 of the chambers on either end are in communication by ascension pipes with a gas collecting pipe cooled by a trickling cooling liquid, only one of these pipes, however, serving to withdraw the gases of distillation, whilst the other pipe merely '45 establishes a communication between the gas collecting spaces of all coking chambegs. Provided that now for the charging and discharging-of the chambers a schedule is used in which as usual one chamber is singled out successively of every "o group of 5 to 10 neighboring chambers, then everywhere a nearly burned `oif chamber lies in the vicinity of a freshly charged chamber which is still in the rst two or three hours of carbonization. Then the gases of distillation which La' are developed in large quantities'in the freshly charged chamber and are under higher pressure, not only directly enter the said gas collecting pipe, but escape also through' the other ascension pipe and collecting pipe, vand that only through a short section of the latter, into another chamber which is in a later condition of carbonization. In this manner the danger is reduced, on the one hand, of the gases of distillation getting jammed in the freshly lled chamber and penetrating through the walls of the chamber into the adjacent chambers. O n the other hand, the gases generated at the beginning of the carbonlzation period which are comparatively cold and are further cooled'by the said pipe being trickled, when arriving through the latter in the gas coly15 lecting space of neighboring hot chambers, have a. cooling effect on lthese chambers and, in addition, take along with them into the gascollecting pipe the gases still generated in small quantities only in these chambers, so that decomposition 20 of the valuable hydrocarbons of these gases is prevented. Moreover, the large quantity of wa'- ter vapor existing in the young gases and the carbonic acid absorb the deposits of graphite which may have been formed. 25

Now according to the invention the heating arrangement hitherto employed-is abandoned, in which the gas 'collecting space of the coking chambers and the uppermost coal layer of the charge practically were not heated by the heatingchambers, and instead thereof the heating chambers are constructed 1n such av manner that their cover is not situated at a level lower than that of the surface of the charge, so that the uppermost coal layers are also exposed to the full effect of the indirect heating action and also the gas collecting space of the chamber is efli caciously heated. This -latter high heating of the gas collecting spacein connection with the cooling effect of` the gases coming from the young 40 chambers and .passing through the gas spaces of the hot chambers and the temperature of which can exactly be regulated by the extent of the trickling action on the abovedescribed gas collecting pipes, has the result, that the gas of distillation contains a maximum quantity of benzole. For, it has been detected that a thermic treatment of the gas of distillation developed in an air-tightly closed space influences the content vof liquid hydrocarbons of the gas, this content depending in such a manner upon the 'temperature at which the thermic treatment takes place, that at a determined temperature a maximum yield of,` benzole and benzole-like hydrocarbons is obtained. Moreover, this optimum temperature chamber and interconnecting the gas spaces ofthe coking chambers, it is possible to obtain a maximum yield of benzole by adequately adjusting the trickling action on (this pipe and on the uniform heating of the charge, and, in addition, to prevent precipitation of graphite in the gas space of the coking chamber, even if coal of natural mine moisture is charged.

Now it has appeared, true, that the cooling action on the gas spaces of the hot chambers by the cooled gases coming from the pipe is not uniform, since these cooled gases gradually become re-heated, before entering the ascension pipe leading to the gas collecting pipe, so that the cooling action on the gas space of the chamber is the more eiiicacious the farther the respective place is distant from the gas collecting pipe. This drawback can be obviated by supplying a cooling medium to the .gas collecting spaces of the chambers of advanced state of carbonization from the ascension pipe leading to the gas collecting pipe. To this end a steam jet for example may be inserted in the ascension pipe which jet iscapable of blowing both toward the gas pipe and toward the coking chamber, that means in opposite direction. In this latter position of the steam jet part of the cooled gas existing in the pipe ows through the gas space of a hot chamber into the equalizing pipe, that means, the pipe interconnecting the chambers. This operation, however, is made only temporarily, and in the meantime the gas is ledfrom the equalizing pipe through the gas space of the hot chambers into the gas collecting pipe, so that the chambers are thoroughly cooled in both directions. T'he reversal from one mode of operation to the other takes place with advantage at intervals of half an hour or an hour.

A uniform cooling of the gas collecting spaces ci.' the hot chambers can also be obtained in the following manner:

The two gas pipes connected by ascension pipes to all coking chambers on both ends thereof are made of equal internal diameter and can be trickled by a cooling liquid. Then alternatively one of the two pipes is connected to the gas sucking device, whilst the other pipeis inoperative and serves only to interconnect the gas spacesof the coking chambers. 'I'he period Aof reversal depends upon the purpose to be obtained by the alternating operation. Ii' only formation of graphite is to be prevented, it will be suiilcint to reverse the operation once per day, if a uniform cooling of the surface of the coke present inthe hot chambers is intended, it will be advisable to Figure lis a vertical longitudinal section oi' a horizontal oven chamber,

Figure 2 is a view of one end of a battery of horizontal oven chambers. Y

` Figure 3 is a vertical section in the longitudinal direction of the battery through the heating nues and coking chambers on the line III-III of Figure 1, and

Figures 4 and 5 show the means for reversing the operation'of the two gas pipes, Figure 4 being a section in the longitudinal direction of the chamber, while Figure 5 is a section in 'the longitudinal direction of the battery.

'Ihe coking chambers are closed on their front ends by doors I. The coal 3 is charged through charging holes 2 by means o! a larry car I5 adapted to travel on the oven cover. The charge 3 occupies the greater part of the chamber, only a free space I remaining at top which serves as gas collecting space and has connected to it on its ends the ascension pipes 6 and IS.- These pipes are in communication through bends 'I and II, respectively, with the two gas collecting pipes 8 and I8. 8 and I8 denote jets serving to inject a cooling liquid. I8 and 28 are valves having handles I I and 2I and serve to throttle or shut oil' the ascension pipes.

The coking chambers are heated by means of the heating chambers which are subdivided so as to form vertical heating ilues I3. The heating gas and the air of combustion is supplied and withdrawn by the regenerator chambers I4. As will be seen in Figure 3, the upper end surface of the heating flues I3 lies at a higher level than the surface of the coal charge 3 in the coking chambers, so that also the upper coal layers are thoroughly heated. In operating the described oven battery only one of the two collecting pipes 8 and I 8 at any time is connected to a conduit .22 leading to a by-products recovery -plant (condensing plant), whilst the other collecting pipe communicates only with the respective ascension pipes. supposing that the collecting pipe 8 serves as gas main and pipe I8 merely as equalizing channel, the gases of distillation entering from the chambers just filled into the gas space 4 will ascend in both ascension pipes 8 and I6 and part thereof is withdrawn through the pipe 8, whilst the remainder is led through the pipe I8 to the gas spaces of neighboring chambers in which only just small quantities of gas are produced. Since the gas in passing through the bends I1 are cooled eilicaciously by the4 liquid supplied by the jets I8, they exert a high cooling eifect on the gas spaces of these hot chambers, whereby overheating of the gas spaces and deposition of graphite is prevented. In addition, the gases produced in the hot chambers are rapidly delivered therefrom by the cooled gases pressing after, and are led throughthe ascension pipe 8 to the gas pipe 8.

When the cooled gases pass through the hot gas space of a hot chamber, see Figure 1 from right to left, they are heated gradually by the chamber walls, so that the part of the gas space situated toward the gas main is hotter? In order to obviate this, a cooling medium, such as steam, may be introduced from the gas-main into the hotchambers. To this end for example a steam jet I4 may be arranged in the bend 1, the steamV taking along with it cooled gas from the collecting main 8 back into the hot chambers, whereby the gas spaces of these chambers are cooled.

Furthermore, an alternative operation of the two gas collecting pipes can be provided, by alternatively connecting the one or other pipe to the conduit 22 leading to the by-products recovery plant. To this end both pipes 8 and I8 open into a common box 23 to which is connected also the pipe 22.l In the box 23 are provided two Adempers 24 and 25 adapted to close, respectively, -the pipes 8- and I8. the dempers being so cou.

pled with one another that closing of the one damper causes opening of the other damper. This may be established, as shown in Figures'4 and 5, by the shafts 26 and 21 of the dampers 24 and 25 carrying pinions 28, 29 in mesh with the upper teeth of a double rack 30. The lower teeth of this rack engage in another pinion 3l to be turned by means of a handle 32 by hand or mechanically. O

ing along the top edge of the chamber, and in heating the charge in each chamber by transmitting heat through the side walls of the chamber from heating gas chambers extending from the level of the bottoms of the coking chambers to a level above the bottom of the gas collecting space in the chamber, and in withdrawing gases of distillation simultaneously formed in all of the chambers from the ends of the different gas co1- lecting spaces adjacent one side of the battery and in withdrawing gases at the opposite side of the battery from the adjacent ends of the gas collecting spaces of freshly charged ovens, coolingthe last mentioned gases and passing them into the adjacent ends of the gas collecting spaces of oven chambers in which the coking operation is in a late stage.

2. A coke oven battery comprising a series of horizontal coking chambers arranged side by side in a row extending longitudinally of the battery and adapted to be sequentially charged each to a charging level separated from the top of the chamber by a gas collecting space of definite depth and comprising heating chambers between each two adjacent coking chambers and having their tops at a level at least as high as the said charging level of the adjacent coking chambers, a pipe connected adjacent one side of the battery to the gas collecting space of each of the different coking chambers, a second pipe connected adjacent the other side of the battery to each of the collecting spaces of the diierent coking chambers. adjustable apparatus associated with saidpipes for withdrawing all of the distillation gases simultaneously formed in said coking chambers through either one or the other of said pipes depending on the adjustment of said apparatus, each pipe at times when the distillation gases are withdrawn through the other pipe, being adapted as a result of the differences Iin the gas pressures in the collecting spaces of coking chambers containing charges in differentcoking operation stages to receive gases :from coking chambers containing charges in relatively early coking operation stages and to deliver gases to the co1- lection spaces of coking chambers containing charges in later coking operation stages, and

trickling means associated with each pipe and adapted to pass cooling liquid into contact with gases flowing between that pipe and the different coking chambers.

3. In the operation of a battery of horizontal coking chambers arranged side by side, the method which consists in charging and discharging the ovens in predetermined order so that freshly charged ovens and ovens in which the coking op eration is in a late stage are distributed longitudinally of the battery, and in charging each chamber to provide a gas collecting space extending along the top edge of the chamber, and in withdrawing gases of distillation simultaneously formed in all of the chambers from the ends of the different gas collecting 4spaces adjacent one side of the battery and in withdrawing gases at the opposite side of the battery from the adjacent ends of the gas collecting spaces of freshly charged ovens, cooling the last mentioned gases by contact with a cooling uid and passing them into the adjacent ends of the gas collecting spaces of oven chambers in which the coking operation is in a late stage. l

4. A horizontal coke oven battery, comprising in combination a plurality of side by side horizontally elongated coking chambers extending transversely of the battery, the upper portion of each chamber normally serving as a gas collecting space, of a gas collecting main extending longitudinally of the battery and connected to each of the different gas collecting spaces at its end adjacent one side of the battery, draw-olf means operatively connected to said main to remove therefrom gas simultaneously received by said main from each of the different gas collecting spaces, a second main extending longitudinally of the battery, connections between said second main and e'ach of the dierent gas collecting spaces at its end remote from its connection to the rst mentioned main, said connections normally providing the only passages for gas ilow into or out of said second main, the latter being adapted to simultaneously receive gas from the diiferent collecting spaces in which the gas preslcably connect the rst mentioned and said second mains interchangeably to said draw-off means and to close communication between the latter and the main previously communicably connected thereto, and thereby adapt the last mentioned main to serve as a pressure equalizing and gas cooling main.

6. A coke oven battery as speciiled in claim 4, in which the coking chambers are adapted to be sequentially charged each to a charging level separated from the top of the chamber by a gas collecting space of denite depth, and comprising heating chambers between each two adjacent coking chambers and having their tops at a level at least as high as the said charging level of the adjacent coking chambers.

CARL OTTO. 

